7 Ways to Avoid Sore Muscles for City2Surf Runners

So… you’ve made it to City2Surf week and your training’s going swimmingly (well done you!). We’re sure you’ll smash your personal best on the big day (we’re cheering for you!) but to make sure your muscles aren’t cramping up the day after the race, follow these quick-recovery tips and get back to your everyday training by Monday (OK, maybe Tuesday).

Kick start the restoration of your muscle glycogen stores for super speedy recovery by:

1. Within 5 minutes of finishing, drink some water or a natural electrolyte drink like coconut water.2. Within 15-20 minutes of finishing, consume a recovery drink that contains high quality protein and carbohydrates – stash some protein powder (organic/vegan brown rice protein, or a good quality whey protein is best in our books but use whatever works for you) in your run pouch and mix it with cold water at the end of your race and you’re good to go!3. Within 60-90 minutes of finishing, consume some whole grains with fish (your best option!), lean meat, egg, nuts, or another good quality solid protein source and plenty of salad or green veggies.4. Antioxidant rich foods are your friend, so anything green or red in colour, or even a good old fashioned apple, is on the menu!5. Avoid anything inflammatory post-race, like processed carbs, sugar and caffeine. Alcohol is definitely in this family too but we know avoiding a beer after the race might be a little too much of a big ask, so if a few bevvies are on the menu, make sure you do a few things to counteract the effect, like these…6. Before you start swigging from your beer mug, swallow a little milk thistle, drink some beetroot juice, or gulp down some fish oil supplements. Snack on anti-inflammatory foods like cherries, berries, walnuts, flaxseeds and kale… make ‘em into a juice if you need to and then, if you still feel like it, that beer is all yours! Just remember to drink plenty of water alongside it!7. Oh… and remember to STRETCH after your race. Uber important!